


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



Q0QlBH222b'^ 



-^0' 






^Co9' 







.^ 



\ 




% <f **f^fe'. ^^ A^ ^'^%i/h.^^ -%. c^' 



-^^\^ 






^oV" 



^^--^ 







'. -^^n^ o^ 















"hV 



^^-^^^ 







0^ 0° 
















<}> " O « ' -« 



• .^^ 



HO. 



• %/ .* 



o. *< 



.':>^„ 



<:^. 'o . » * <&' 






.0* o - « .. % • • J- ^. .^,^ -,^ ^0 ^ 













%. " "^^'^ " ^' V "^ oTT'* ^^-^ -o. * 












L'* ^> 



V ..< 




:- '%.. a"' - 










\- 






>p^^^ 



40. 



V ^^-^K 






















>. V 




." y^ 



r.T* A 






















^^"^ .' 



%.<,^'^ * 















* 










^^0^ 



o«o' ^V 







* .^^ 










• ^►^ 



HO, 








v^-\y 



4 o 



^^0^ 






vV 







•, -f" 



^oV° 



-^^0^ 









* A 



A* 




HON. ROBERT S. FRANKUN 



SPECIAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



Newport Historical Society 



lumber Ten NEWPORT, R. I. December. 1913 



IN MEMORY 



OF 



ion. Robert Stilman Franklin 

Vice President of the Society 

DIED OCTOBER 8th, 1913 



Mr. Franklin was born in the city of Newport August 
1st, 1836, and was clurmg his whole life one of its honored 
and useful citizens. He held many public positions of 
trust and honor, among them that of Chief Magistrate of 
the city and of State Representative and Senator. In 
every office he was conscientious, wise and faithful. 

His connection with the Historical Society began 
July 6th, 1886, when the Newport Society of Mechanics 
and Manufacturers was dissolved, all of its members 
being received into our Society. He was at once elected 
a Director. March i8th, 1899, he became Secretary, and 
Vice-President May 27th, 1913. His importance in the 
Society was marked from the beginning ; a life-long ac- 
quaintance with the affairs of the city making him pecu- 
liarly informed and interested in its history. His labors 
were constant ; and his experience was most useful to 
the Board of Directors. Upon his judgment his fellows 
upon the Board were always glad to rely ; and upon his 
faithful performance of any duty committed to him, they 
could safely depend. 

His fellow Directors expressed their true sentiments 
when, in Resolutions adopted at the time of his death, 
they said: "The Society has been deprived of one of 
its most valued and efficient officers.'' 



Newport Cemeteries 

A PAPER BY THE LATE 

Hon. ROBERT S. FRANKLIN 

READ BEFORE THE SOCIETY 
Part I, August 15th, 1911, by Mr. Franklin 
Part II, November 17th, 1913, by the Librarian 



PART I. 



The largest and most representative of the early burial places of 
Newport is the old cemetery on Farewell street known as the Common 
Burying Ground and used as the resting place of the dead continuously 
from the middle of the seventeenth century till the present day. A walk 
among the graves in this corner of God's Acre brings one into close 
touch with the Newport and Newporters of early days. Here "the 
rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep '' — men prominent in the political 
and commercial life of the colony, governors, Revolutionary patriots, 
honored clergymen, physicians and merchants. Some of the oldest 
stones are so badly corroded that the epitaphs are entirely illegible, 
and others have sunken so far into the ground that even the uppermost 
lines of the inscriptions can be read with difficulty. But most of the 
stones are well preserved and in good condition and many have been re- 
cut by descendants of the families or by patriotic societies interested in 
restoring the ancient monuments. 

The older stones vary little in form and size. The common type 
is a low blue slate head stone, ending at the top in a semi-circular curve 
with a smaller curve on either side. In the central curve is often carved 
an angel's head, a skall and cross bones, a weeping willow and urn, or 
the family coat of arms, while the smaller curves are unadorned or filled 
by scrolls and conventional rosettes. Infinite variety, however, charac- 
terizes the epitaphs. In many cases the record is of the simplest kind 
— "Their name, their years, spelt by the unlettered muse." Other 
epitaphs are elaborate inscriptions, telling the private virtues and public 
services of the deceased or " with uncouth rhymes " setting forth the 



grief of the surviving relatives and the hope of the departed in a blessed 
heavenly home. The quaint spelling, the contracted words, the use of 
old forms and letters combined with the dignified language of Scripture 
and the early poets make a most interesting study and show the visitor 
to the cemetery how truly "Every stone that we look upon in this re- 
pository of past ages is both an entertainment and a monitor." 

It is the purpose of this article to give the inscriptions that are of 
interest in themselves, as well as some of those that have a more perma- 
nent historical value. 




Ward and Cranston Plat, the Part of the Ground Earliest in Use 



In the Ward and Cranston plat now cared for b}' the Park Commis- 
sion of the city, are gathered together the monuments of members of 
these and other prominent early families. A large flat slate slab, with 
skull and cross bones at the top, records that 

'' Here lyeth 

interred the 
Body of Maior 
John Cranston 
Esq Governor 

who deceased 

this life the 12 

day of March in 

the 55 year of 

his age 1680." 



Near by, a simiiar slab with the Cranston coat of arms (three 
cranes) at the top is in memory of Samuel Cranston, died 1727. He 
was a son of John Cranston and governor from 1698 to 1727. Both 
father and son died in office 

Here are also the tombs of two other Colonial governors — Richard 
Ward, who died in 1763, and Samuel Ward, who died in 1776. The 
monument to Samuel Ward, a marble slab raised on six square pillars 
was erected by the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 
as a testimony of respect for '• his great abilities, his unshaken integ- 
rity, his ardor in the cause of treedom, his fidelity to the offices he 
filled.'' Governor Ward was a ''delegate from the colony at the Gen- 
eral Congress, in which station he died at Philadelphia of small pox, 
March 26, 1776. ' His remains were afterwards removed by his descend- 
ants to Rliode Island. 

Not far from these tombs is the grave of " Solomon Southwick, for 
man}' years Proprietor and Editor of the Newport Mercury and Com- 
missary General for the State of Rhode Island in the Revolutionary 
war,'' who died in 1797. 

Other interesting stones in tlie Ward plot are those in memory of 
Edward Scott and Mr. Thomas Gordon Steele. On the first of these we 
read that Edward Scott, Esq , departed this life in 1768 

" Having for many years served 
His country 
By a faithful discharge 
Of several important offices 

of goverment 
preserving throughout his life 
That noblest of characters 
an honest man." 

The epitaph on the second stone is as follows : 

'' In memorv 

of 

Mr. Thomas Gordon 

Steele who departed 

this life by a Fall from a 

Horse January 23, 1776 

aged 42 years. 

A wit's a feather, and a chief's a rod, 

An honest man's the noblest work of God." 

In a lot adjoining the Ward enclosure is a simple granite shaft 
erected by friends in 1892, in memory of Gilbert Stuart, the painter, 
while in another section of the cemetery is buried William Ellery, who 
" represented this state in Congress, was an active and influential mem- 
ber of that body for many year§ and one of the Signers of the Declara- 



tion of Independence." His stone was restored by his great-great-grand- 
son, Rob't Sedgwick, in 1899. 

Among the Revolutionary soldiers whose graves are to be seen in 
this cemetery may be mentioned Colonel William Tew, " an officer in 
the late Revolutionary war who received from his country that applause 
and reward justly due to patriotism and valour,'' and Captain John 
Trevett. of whom it is said that "he received as his only reward the sat- 
isfaction of Reflecting that by his efforts he Lad contributed to the estab- 
lishment of the blood bought Liberties of his country.'' 

The writer has been told of the tomb of William Jefferay, one of 
the regicide judges of Charles I, who died in 1675, but has not been able 
to locate it. It is described as a " large slab of gray stone with skull 
and cross bones at the head,'' and the following epitaph : 

" Since every tomb an epitaph can haye 

The Muses owe their tribute to this grave, 

And to succeeding ages recommend 

His worthy name who lived and died their friend ; 

Being full of days and virtue's love and peat'e, 

God from his troul)les gave him a release 

And called him unto the celestial place. 

Where happy souls view their Creator's face." 

Newport in her early days was noted for her famous divines, among 
whom was the learned Rev. Ezra Stiles, pastor of the Congregational 
church on Clarke street, afterwards president of Yale College. His two 
wives are buried in this cemetery — " Mrs. Elizabeth Stiles, consort of 
the Reverend Dr. Ezra Stiles who died in 1775," and *' Mary, the amia- 
ble and virtuous relict of the Revd. Dr. Ezra Stiles, President of Yale 
College," who died in 1801. 

The " Baptist Society holding the six principals of the Doctrines of 
Christ," erected a monument in memory of their pious and venerable 
pastor, The Rev. Mr. Nicholas Eyres, who died in 1759. The inscription 
recounts his learning and piety and successful pastoral instruction, and 
ends with these words : 

" From these distinguished structures 
And ruling principals of his character 

Posterity may know. 
Or at leaast have reason to Judge 
That while many monumental inscriptions 
Perpetuate the names of those 

Who will make to shame and everlasting contempt. 
This stone transmits the memory of one 
Who shall shine as ye brightness of ye Firmament 
And as the stars for ever & ever.'' 

We find also the burial places of the Reverend Daniel Wightman, 
an earlier " Pastor of the Baptist church in Newport holding the six 



Principles as it is written in Hebrews the sixth, fo ralmost fifty years, 
who departed this Hfe August 31. Anno 175U," and of the Rev. Gard- 
ner Thurston. He was the minister of the Second Baptist Church for 
nearly half a century and was obliged to eke out his scanty salary by 
following the trade of a cooper during the week days. As a proof of his 
conscientiousness it is said that he absolutely refused to use his craft 
for the manufacture of any kind of cask used in the shipment of New 
England rum and confined his work to the making of milk and water 
buckets. 

Among the oldest stones in this cemetery are those placed over the 
tombs of John Garde and his wife. They were originally buried on 
their estate on the west side of Thames street, near what is now known 
as Cliamplin's wharf, but some time before the year 1800 the tombstones 
were removed to the common burial ground. The stones date back to 
1660 and 1665, somewhat earlier than the oldest monument on Burial 
Hill, Plymouth, Mass., which is stated by Mr. Benjamin Drew in his 
pamphlet on Burial Hill to be of the date 1681. The inscriptions areas 
follows : 

Here lieth interred ye 

Body of John Garde 
Merchant aged 61 
years. Who died 

the 7 day of August 
1665. 




Garde Stones, North of the Main Path, Annong the Oldest in Newport. 



Here lyeth the Body of Harte 

Garde the wife of John Garde 

Merchant who departed this 

The 16 day of September A N 

D. M 1660 

aged 55 years 

One other stone dating back to the seventeenth century, bears this 
epitaph : 

Here lyeth the Body 

of Roger Baster 

Bachelor Blockmackr 

Aged 66 years. He dyed 

^23 Day of Aprel 1687 

He was one of the Fi 

rst beginers of a chu 

rch of Christ obsvring 

of the Seventh Day Sab 

bath of the Lord in 

N E and began 23 Dis 1671. 




The Bachelor Blockmackr Grave, Marked by a Seventeenth Century Stone. 



Of a later date but of especial historic interest is the small slate 
head stone raised in memory of •' Anna, wife of James Milward, Esqr.^ 



and daughter of Wm. and Miriam Cranston, died Febry 5th, 1774. 

The first white child born on the 
Friends Land called Easton's Point." 

Three stones of early date in the Old or Common Burying Ground, 
noticeable for quaint spelling and lettering are those of the Warkman 
family. They are of rough marble, originally white, but now much- 
discolored and moss-covered. On the middle stone we read : 

1736 

SAMUELL 

Warkman 

Dyed 

November 15 




The Three Warkman Stones, Near the Main Path, on the North Side. 



The stones on either side are in memory of the wife and son of 
Samuel Warkman. The one on the right hand bears the inscription : 

1746 
SAMUELL 

Junr 
Warkman 
Dyed lULY 8 day 
in his 52 year 



That at the left reads as follows : 

1747 
MARTHA 
WIFE OF 

SAMUELL 
WARKMAN 

Dved 
JULY" 8 DAY 

About 
76 YEARS. 

As we wander about among the graves we are struck by the fre- 
quent recurrence of the words " merchant" and " sea captain " upon the 
stones, and we are forcilil}' reminded of the early commercial interests 
of our city and her importance as a centre of trade One of the dis- 
tinguished merchants in New})ort was Christopher Champlin, Esq., 
president of the Bank of Rhode Island and the first grandmaster of the 
Masonic fraternity in the state. " Unambitious of public employment 
and honor, he was respected in society, for his good sense, incorruptible 
integrity, and persevering industry in commercial pursuits, in which he 
was usefully engaged for half a century" — is the epitaph upon his 
tombstone. 

The resting place of another merchant is marked in the following 
manner : 

"This humble and unpolished stone 
Is in Remembrance of Andrew Heatlej' 
Sprung from parents of repute and worth 
In Lanerk Scotland where he was born Novr 16th 

17"25 and well educated 
In London. He was accomplish'd & finish 'd 
Ih all the nice^^jandmore intricate Points 
Of Business a^ Factor and Merchant. 
Arriving in America he married Mary 
First daughter jQliSueton & Temperance Grant 
July 26th 1756, Py whom he left issue Two sons and 

three daughters. 
He was of a sprightly & cheerful disposition 
Foiin'd & quahfied for the enjoyment 
And Pleasure of a regulated & Social life 
In which he delighted and was a pattern 
In the duties of a Master. Husband & Father. 
Always infirm and of a Habit too delicate 
He was cut oft' in a moment by a Profusion 
Of blood from his lungs July 17th 1761 And dy'd be- 
wail 'd liy his Family 
And regretled.by his Friends & Acquaintances. 

Manet post Funera Virtus." 



On a stone dedicated to the memory of Capt. John Dennis we read 
that he " sailed from this place Augt 22d 1756 in the 42d year of his 
age, was never since heard of, doubtless made his exit in the watery 
element." 

Reference should also be made to the grave of "Cap. Daniel 
Gardner who was summoned in a moment out of Time into Eternity by 
being unfortunately drowned on the 11th da}^ of July 1789. leaving a 
wife and four children to deplore the loss of an affectionate husband and 
tender Parent, exhibiting to survivors a striking memento of the great 
uncertainty of human life." 

One energetic captain, who died on the coast of Africa from disease 
and was buried on the island of St. Thomas, is thus commemorated : 

•* Once did I stand amid life's busy tlirong 
Healthy and active vigorous and strong. 
Oft did I traverse ocean's briny waves 
And safe escaped a thousand gaping graves. 
Yet dire disease has stopped my vital breath 
And now I lie the Prisoner of Death. 
Reader expect not length of days to see 
Or if thou dost, think, think, ah ! think of me." 

James Anthony who served for 18 years in the United States navy 
and died in 1857, has upon his stone : 

"He spent his lite upon the sea 
Fighting for the nation 
He doubled his enjoyment 
By doubling all his rations." 

And below the verses is the signature " Pomroy," the name by 
which he was popularly known. 

Among the quaintest epitaphs found in the old ground is that over 
the remains of Simon Parrett : 

" Here doth Simon Parrett lye 
Whose wrongs Did for Justice cry 
But none could have 
And now the grave 
Keeps him from Injurie. 
Who departed this life 
The 23d Day of May 1718 
Aged 84 years." 

One cannot read the lines without feeling the desire to know what 
great wrong the old man carried unavenged to his grave. 




Stone Marking urave of Simon Parrett, "Whose wrongs uia for Justice Cry' 



Another intone of the 3'ear 1718, erected over the grave of Sarah 
Mitchell, has the verses of the inscription so arranged that the initial 
letters, in a sort of acrostic, spell the name of the deceased. 

"Shall we lament for you our friend 
And mother in Israel 
Receive her Lord into thy hand 
And then it will be well. 
Honour her memory I will. 
Make her to be at tby right hand 
In tryumph and true command 
To thee O Lord her we resigne 
Christ and she for to combine. 
Her O Christ to you we give 
Evermore w'ith you to live. 
Lord do thou let her possess 
Life and everlasting blessedness." 

Most visitors to the Old Cemetery know the stone fomiliarly called 
'• My Wife's Arm's stone." It is a double slate head stone, in the centre 
of which is carved an arm turned towr"ds the right, with the accom- 



panying inscription : 

Wait daughtr 
William and 
Desire Tripp 
died April 24 
1780 aged 10 
mo 10 day I 



also William 

their son 

Died March 

7th 1784 aged 

22 mo 

Also his wife's 



arm amputated Feby 20th 1786. 




if^' 




My Wife's Arm's" Stone. 



Of the rude rhymes found upon the tombstones some are decidedly 
individual and of personal application, while others are general reflec- 
tions upon the frailty of human liie. Two of the verses that are often 
repeated are here given : 

" Remember me as you pass by, 

As you are now so once was 1, 

As I am now so you must be, 

Prepare for death and follow me." 

There are occasional variations in the first line ; sometimes the 
form " Oh ! reader see as you pass by " is used. 
Another favorite is : 



" With patience having run his race 
Now Death hath set him Free 
We trust he doth enjoy the Place 
Of true Felicity." 



13 



As we read the following we are reminded of the " Vanity of vani- 
ties, all is vanity " of the Preacher : 

*' How loved how valued once avails thee not 

To whom related or by whom begot, 

A heap of dust alone remains of thee, 

Tis all thou art and all the proud shall be." 




The New Among the Old. 



The expressions, " The corruptible of Samuel Freebody " and "The 
human form respected for its honesty and known 53 3^ears by the ap- 
pellation Christopher Ellery began to dissolve in the month of February 
1789," emi)hasize the fact that " we are of the earth, earthy." But other 
lines breathe a more hopeful spirit. 

" Man comes into this world naked and bare 

lie travels through life with trouble and care 

His exit from here no one knows where 

If it's well with him here, it's well with him there." 

"Earth taek my Earth 

Saton my 8in. I leve 

the world my substence 

Heaven my Sol Reseve." 



14 



As also these words : 

" Happie are the youth 

That dy in ye truth 

And establishes righteousness." 

Again we find lines indicating a firm belief in "tbe resurrection of 
the dead and the life everlasting." The oldest and quaintest of such 
verses are on the tombstone of Lydia, wife of John Odlin, who died in 
1707. 

" Who in her life was faithful kind & tru 

& at her death ths world she Hd A dew. 

Her soule to God she did commend ye same 

Her body to ye dust from whence it came. 

And when 3'e Lord from Heaven sliall descend 

United they shall he Him for to attend. 

To all Eternity with Him shall be. 

As by ye Scripture you may plainly see." 

A i'ew other examples of similar sentiment, but of a much later 
date may be given : 

" \A'eep not fond wife or shed a tear 

Or mourn my c^uick remove ; 

1 was but a treasure lent awhile 

Reclaimed by Him aljove. 

Weep not o'er my closing tomb, 

Or mourn my early flight, 

We are but transplanted e'er we bloom 

In realms of living light." 

" But is he dead ! No, no he lives, 
His happy spirit flies 
To Heaven above and there receives 
The long expected prize." 

" Nought can disturb this heir of life, 

All worldly cares are fled 

To be with Christ was her desire 

And she's now perfected. 

Blest soul, how sweetly dost thou rest 

From every toil and care, 

Enjoying now on Jesus breast 

Bliss far beyond compare."' 

*• Oh ! Mother dear it was hard to part 
It tore the cords from around our hearts. 
But soon in Heaven we hope to meet 
And kneel in prayer at Jesus feet." 



15 



this one is from the grave of a young girl of 16 years 1 

" Farewell dear friends a long farewell 

For we shall meet no more 

Till we are raised with thee to dwell 

On Zion's happier shore. 

Our friend and sister, lo is dead, 

The cold and lifeless clay 

Has made in dust its silent bed 

And there it must decay." 

Many of the most interesting epitaphs are found upon the graves of 
children A very simple one, but exceedingly quaint in the spelling 
and contraction of the words, is found on a small stone and reads as 
follows : 

Here lyeth 

ludith ye Daughtr 

of losiah Cog 

geshall & of 

Mary his wife 

aged 3 years & 4 

monts & dyed Novmbr 

ve 15 1711. 

Another of the date of 1797 bears the name of the mother, Mrs. 
Deliverance Hudson, and the words : 

" Here lies buried by each other 
Three children and their mother.'' 

A stone of the same year (1797) for a child of two years has these 
lines : 

"This lovely babe 
That knowd no harm 
Now resteth in her 
Saviour's arms." 

In one place are six little stones joined together into one continuous 
piece of slate, each small head stone having a tiny angel's head at the 
top. 

'* Here lie deposited six children sons and daughters of William Lan- 
gley and Sarah his wife." The names and ages are given. The oldest 
was 21 months and 23 days, the youngest 4 weeks and 5 days. 

" Here lie six blessed babes which Jesus said 

Heirs of his blessed Kingdom should be made. 

Then let ray murmering heart cheer up with this, 

They with their Saviour art in endless bliss." 

i6 




Six Brothers and Sister 



Over an only daughter aged 4 months is written : 

" Here the cold earth secludes her from our sight 
Her form lies here, her soul hath winged in flight 
Far from corroding care, from sickness, pain, 
The loss is ours, but hers eternal gain." 

A little boy of nine years thus addresses his sorrowing parents : 

" Mourn not for me my Parents dear 
Nor weep around my tomb 
My little spirit is not here 
For God has called it home." 

Johnnie. 
And with this pathetic lullaby a mother consigns her child to its last 

" Sleep my babe and take thy rest 
For such as thee our Saviour blest, 
Th}^ soul has gone with Christ to dwell 
My lovely babe Farewell, Farewell." 

The early death of a young girl of eighteen who died in 1790 is thus 
described : 

" This happy youth resin'd her breath 
Prepared to live and ripe for death. 
Ye blooming youth that see this stone 



^7 



Learn early death may be your one. 
The Lord that hath all Severing power 
He chose this much lamented flower." 
The simile of the fading flower is frequently used and is evidently the 
favorite one for the early death of the young. More than once occur 

the lines : 

" Untimely sinks into the silent tomb 
A lovely Flow'r in life's enchanting bloom. 
Her worth who knew her will delighted tell, 
Much lov'd she liv'd and much lamented fefl." 

And on one stone we find the following : 

" Like the summer flower she laid her down 
Neath the winter shade to die. 
And she'll heed no more sharp winter's frown 
From the grave — as he passes by." 

Among the inscriptions in the Old or Common cemetery many are 
the tributes to womanly charm and excellence. Of the wife of Colonel 
Benjamin Fry, a Revolutionary soldier, it is said : " If an assemblage 
of the virtues which adorn and dignify the soul, united to elegance of 
person, with hands distributing charity to the poor, could have rescued 
her from death, she still had lived." 

On another stone a similar thought is expressed in verse: 

" Could blameless manners or aflection warm, 
Could the mild virtues still to memory dear 
Or innocence the rage of Death disarm 
An early victim had not rested here. 
Nor had a husl)and mourned his doom severe 
Nor infant sorrows stream 'd around this grave, 
Nor bending parents mixed the falling tear 
Such was her worth, could worth exception crave." 

A simpler tribute to womanly worth is contained in the brief lines : 

" Beloved by all she met her hapjiy doom, 
Beloved by ail she sank into the tomb, 
And knew no fear of death." 

Mrs. Frances Woodman was the " only daughter of the venerable & 
Reverend Gardner Thurston." 

" Useful in life, lamented at her end 
She lived beloved a Wife, a C'hristian friend 
What needs she more to ))('rpctuate her fame 
What monument more lasting tlian her name." 

One good wife seems to have possessed the virtues of all the women 
of the Bible. 

"Comely as Rachel, fruitful as Leah, 
Prudent as Abigail with Martha's care, 
Wise like Mary she chose that better part, 
True faith in Christ & had a Lydia's heart." 

i8 



Another evidently passed through much suffering but was faithful 
unto the end for we read : 

" Sharp were her pains, her trials long, 
Her faith was great, her patience strong. 
No murmuring thought disturbed her breast. 
What Jesus ordered she thought best." 

The most elaborate epitaph placed by husband upon a wife's tomb 
is seen on a large flat slate stone, having the family coat of arms at the 
top, and is as follows : 

" Here lieth entombed 
The body of Abigail 
The wife of Mr. George Wanton 
Merchant of this Town. 
He being the eldest son of Col. Wm. Wanton 
She havmg been ye second daughter of 
Benj. Ellery Esq. 
Both of Newport. 
She changed this world for a better 
On the 12th Day of May 1726 
In the 28th year of her age 
Having left five pledges of her love. 
Terras Astraea reliquit. 
If tears alas ! could speak a Husband's woe 
My verse would straight in plaintiff numbers flow ; 
Or if so great a loss deplor'd in vain 
Could solace so my throbbing Heart from Pain 
Then Would I oh ! sad consolation chuse 
To sooth my careless grief a Private Muse, 
But since thy well known Piety demands 
A Public monument at thy George's Hands, 
Abigail I dedicate this Tomb to The 
Thou Dearest Half of Poor Forsaken me.'' 

A simple marble stone in memory of Caroline, daughter of Asher 
Robbins, one of the prominent lawyers of earlier days, recalls her ser- 
vices in the cause of humanity in these words : 

Gently, Earth, receive this precious trust 
Until the resurrection of the Just. 
For lo ! there lies within this honored grave 
One of the first who rose to free the slave." 

A low flat slab marks the grave of the " truly virtuous and beloved 
consort of Mr. Stephen Ayrault of Newpt Mercht " who died in 1754, 
aged 30 years. 

"Having nigh reach'd the Term 

of her Blessed Saviour's Life 

and study'd to imitate 

His spotless Example 

Her extraordinary Goodness towards all 

19 



Her singular Dutifulness to her Parents 
Made Her belov'd of All. 
She was of an easy Conversation, 
Courteous to all yet strictly sincere, 
Humble witliout meanness, 
Beneficent without Ostentation, 
Devout without Superstition. 
Her soul thus adorn'd with Heavenly Graces 
She early resign'd to Heaven 
And her Body to this Tomb 
Where it now rests in Expectation of a glorious Resurrection 
To another and a better State." 

The widow of Rev. James Searing, a pastor of the Congregational 
Church on Clarke street, lies buried beside her husband. She died, as 
the inscription records, 

" having discharged 

with a conscience 

Void of Offence 

the christian social & relative 

duties of Life, 

her surviving Friends 

contemplate with Satisfaction 

her now enjoying 
the Recom pence of Reward 
promised to the Righteous 
in abetter World." 

Another epitaph commemorating womanly virtues is found on the 
tombstone of " Martha wife of Robert Jenkins in Newport and daughter 
of Jahleel and Frances Brenton." 

" Who in a loose and dissolute Age 
Through an uncommon Education 
and hai)py Turn of Mind 
was at First what Others seldom are at last 
A perfect mirrour of Domestic Life. 
But by God's All-wise Appointment 
Soon as she Open'd the Scene of a bright Example 
She clos'd it 
And from giving life to Another 
Gave up her own. 
She died 11th May 1757 
aged 31 years." 

Nearly a hundred years later in date, but of equal interest, is the 
following : 

"IF 

A commenda])le deportment through 

a space of 

Eighty Two Years 

deserve the attempt of human Art to 

Perpetuate 

20 



this Monument will aid the design 

MRS. ELIZABETH MURPHEY 

on the 7th June 1853 

fulfilled the mission of 

NATURE." 

Side by side we find two similar stones, in memory of the two 
wives of Mr. Edward Stanhope Tlie first inscription reads : 

" RUAMY 

wife of Mr. Ed. Stanhope 
Cut down in Life in bloom mg youth so fair 
The Parents joy, the Husband's consort dear 
Belov'd She liv'd and much lamented fell 
She's gone to rest where Saints in Glory dwell." 

While over the grave of Susan, the second wife, is written : 

" Adieu blest shade, alas, too early fled 
^Vho knew thee living but laments thee dead, 
A soul so calm, so free from ev'ry stain, 
So try'd by fortune and unmov d by pain 
Without a groan, with agonies she strove 
Heav'n wondring snatch'd her to the joys above." 

One of the oldest stones erected in memory of a woman is found 
just a few feet east of the Ward plat, to which reference has already 
been made. It is a low stone, with the simple inscription : 




In the Ward Cranston Hiat, Showing tne i rebey Stone in the Disiance. 



" BETHIAH TREBEY 

THE WIFE OF PETER 

TREBEY AGED 

- YEARS. DIED 

THE 1 DAY OF MAY 

1675." 

Another stone located just outside ol the Ward plat, is erected to 
the memory of Heart, wife of Mr. Daniel Cass, who died Sept. 9, 1776. 
Although it has no historic connection, it is remarkable for its well 
preserved condition. 




■%i 



One epitaph praises the excellence of the departed in these words 

" How sweet the fragrance by a good name shed 
Around the relics of the virtuous dead 
It cheers the mourner when she stops to weep 
O'er the still grave in which those relics sleep." 

Another shows a calm resignation to the will of God. 
" No word or tongue can e'er express 
The feeling of a troubled breast 
And if it could t' would not be best 
As GOD has called this child to rest.'' 



In the old cemetery, quite near the junction of Walnut and Fare, 
well streets, is a small marble shaft on a freestone base, " in memory of 
eighteen persons who perished by the wreck of Brig Sutledje from 
Pictou and were here interred, Jmie 28, 1846" Many of those now 
livinor remember the funeral procession as it wound its way through the 
streets to the burial place. 




Monument to Victims of Wreck of Brig Sutledge, 



Another monument arousing great interest is the marble stone " in 
memory of Mrs. Elizabeth T. Allen, the amiable and much lamented 
consort of Mr. Andrew V. Allen and all their beloved and promising 
children All of whom in their dwelling house were swept in the flood 
and drowned during the dreadful hurricane and high tide on the mem- 
orable 23d September 1815." The inscription continues : "The truly 
lamented wife and beloved mother was forewarned and previously pre- 
pared for death. The surviving husband and father has ordered this 
monument to perpetuate the memory of those that were most dear to 
him " 

Let your tears flow o'er this silent urn 

But still with hope and moderation mourn." 

There are several other monuments that cannot be passed over, 
because of their individual or historical interest, but as it has been 
somewhat difficult to classify them they will be given with little attempt 
at an orderly arrangement. 



Two of the epitaphs are noticeable for their ahnost epigrammatic 
brevity : 

" He lived the Friend of Man and Died 
in Friendship with his God." 

" Stop reader stop and drop a tear 
Behold the noblest work of God 
Lies buried here." 

Another is peculiar in its phrasing: 

" She united an improved mind 
To great native sensibilit}' 
And possessing a feel)le constitution 
Lived under Divine Providence 
On the affection of her family." 

A fourth calls for attention because of its age and the quaiiitncss of 
spelling : 

Here lyeth intered ye Body 
Of Noah Loyd Cittison & 
Drapr of London aged 74 
years He departed this 
life Sept. ye 20th 1703 

On one stone is a paraphase in verse of the familiar " Though lost 
to sight, to memor}'- dear : " 

"The face with pleasure view'd we view no more 
The voice with rapture heard no more we hear. 
Yet the lov'd features memory's eyes explore. 
Yet the lov'd accents fall on memory's ear." 

A double slate stone marks the resting place of" Samuel Burroughs 
& Mary his wife, who both died in the faith. He on Oct. 21st 1801 aged 
89 years. She Nov. 10, aged 79. 

Tbey were .one in aff"ection 

One in profession 

One in practice. 

One in joys and sorrows and in 

Death & the grave are not divided. 

Full sixty years they traveled hand in hand 

At length they found ye sought ibr happy land." 

Few inscriptions in Latin are found on the monuments. On that 
that of Mr. Asher Bobbins, formerly mentioned, is a long and elaborate 
Latin epitaph. 

One other found reads as follows : 

" Hie jacet Sarah charissima Uxor 

Nathanielis Newdigate Arinigeri. 
Et filia Simonis Ljaide nuper Boston 

Mercator. Obit 18 die.Julii 
Anno Domini 1727. Anno Aetatis 55. 

24 





4 



stones of the Barker Family Inserted as Pannels Between Wooden Posts; 
Now Fallen to the Ground. 



A most interesting Latin e})itapli is one of the year 1751, on the Hat 
slab "in memory of Mr. Jacob Dehane." 

'• Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte dedisset 
Eternae Vitae janua clausa foret." 

Below it are the following verses in English : 

" Inexorable death has given the blow, 

And dead the Body lyesentomb'd below 

Come then grim Tyrant thou hast done thy worst 

O'er lifeless clay triumphant thini mayst boast. 

But still tho mouldring here the Atom shaiit be lost. 

Destin'd hereto the Dust recluse must lye 

Ev'n till the glorious Resurrection day. 

How will it then exulting rise again 

And joyn the Soul with Jesus e'er to reian. 

No more to part with Choirs above they'll sing 

Eternall Anthems to the Heavenly King." 

These verses, it will be noticed, form another example of the acros- 
tic epitaph. 

35 



The inscription in Latin on the tombstone of William Ellery, who 
died in 1764, which recounts at 'length his joublic services and private 
virtues, is also of interest : 

I. S. 

Giulielmi Ellery Armigeri 

qui 

Collegii Harvardini ! Nov. Ang. 

Optimarum artium studia olim excoluit 

Deinde per multos annos 

Variis mercaturae negotiis 

Opes non magis sibi honeste quaesivit 

quam Patriae inserviit 

et civium suffragiis 

Ad praeciperos hujusce celoniae honores 

erect us 

Judicis officio Senatoris 

et denium 

VICE-GUBERNATORIS 

functus est 

semper veri rectiq. tinax 

Christianus 

Fide et charitate vere Apostolica 

Libertatis. religiosae et civilis 

Decus et Praesidium floruit. 

Hospitii muneribus gaudens 

probos et honestos licet infortunatos 

Liberalitate et Benevolentia 

prosecutus est 

donee 

Vita utili et honesta jucunde peracta 

Ad sedes Aminorum eternas 

transivit 

Idibus Martiis AnnoSalutis 

MDCCLXIV • 

Aetatis suae LXIII. 

Over the grave of William Sanford, M. A., who "dyed April the 
24 1721 aged nere 31 years," are these lines : 

" Here lyeth Dust, that as Ave Trust 

United is to Christ 
Who will it Raise, the Lord to praise join'd to a Soul, now Blest 
With Holy Ones, plac'd on Bright Tiirones 

Crown'd with eternal joyes 
In Heav'n to Sing, to Cod our King 

There Thanktul Songs Alwayes." 
Other quaint verses mark the burial place of Ann, the young 
daughter of James Franklin and Ann his wife, wlio died 1730 at the 
age of 2 years and 8 mo. On her stone we read : 

" Death in Ten Thousand Simp's appears 

Regards no age nor promised wit reveres. 

Nor present Beauty, yet could bribe his Hand 

He strikes both when and where the Almighty gives command. 



On the tombstone of George Whitehead, 
land, are found these lines : 



a native of Boston, Eng- 



. •" My trowel and hammer lies decline 
So does my rule and my line. 
My building is up my course is run 
My scaffold struck my work is done." 

The following inscription is also of interest : 

" Here lieth ye body of 

Thomas Scares 

Son of Lieut. Sylas Scares 

of Yarmouth P. C. 

and grandson of Richard 

the Pilgrim 

Born in 1664 and died 

Aug. 16, 1707 

Aged 43 years. 

Beneath this htone the empty casket lies 
The polished jewel brightens in the skies. 




L...«_ 



An Old-Time Stone (Seares) 



37 



Mention should also be made of the tomb of Dr. Isaac Senter, a 
physician of great prominence, who died in 1799. The inscription re- 
cords that "he was honored by the Medical society of .the City of Lon- 
don iind of the College of Pliysicians in Philadelphia with' an admittance 
as a member of those very respectable Bodies and was repeatedly elected 
President of the Society of the Cincinnati." 

The Rogers family enclosure is one of the interesting portions of the 
Old cemetery. Almost all of the stones in the plat are of the early half 
of the seventeenth century. That of Mr. John Rogers, who "died Aug 
ye 15 1 27 aged 59 years wanting 15 days " has upon it these lines : 

"In his Redeemer's Arms he fell asleep 

Having resigned all for him to keep 

Untiil ye Resurrection morn be come 

When all ye Saints shall fully be brought home 

To Christs Eternal (lilory there to be 

With Saints and Angels to Eternitie." 

Another of the stones in this enclosure has the following inscription: 

" This Stone was 

erected by the 

Members of the 

Fellowship Club 

in Memory of their 

Brother Cap't 

JAMES ROGERS 

who departed this 

Life Augst ve 22 

1776 in ye 63d 

Year of his Age." 

The members of the Fellowship Club also erected, in another part 
of the cemetery, a stone " in memory of their Brother Capt John Cul- 
berson who died March 24 A. D. 1758 in ye 34 year of his age." 

Mention may also be made of the following epitaph, notic^eable for 
its marked individuality: 

"In 

Memory of 

Mr^ Samuel Tennant 

Who on the night of the 

26 Sept 1822 in the 21 year 

of his age fell an innocent 

Victim to the Vile 
Assassin Edmond Briggs." 

The upper or northeast section of the Old cemetery was set apart 
as the burial ground for the slaves, and there are found many smaller 
stones in memory of the faithful servants of well known Newport fami- 
lies. Newport Redwood, Primus Gibbs, Neptune Sisson, Portsmouth 

28 



Cheeseborough and Cambridge Bull are some of the names seen on the 
stones. Most of the epitaphs are simple and give merely the names of 
servant and master and the date of death, as this one : 

" In memory of 

Margaret Cranston Ser 

vant to Governor Cranston 

of Newport who departed 

th's Life May 15th 1779 

aged 82 years." 

On other stones there are tributes to the worth of these faithful 
servants from the attached families they served—" In memory of 
Phillis a beloved Pious & Trusty Servant of Oliver R. Warner"— for 
example. 

One inscription is of sufficient interest to be given in full : 

" Peter son of 

Peter Cranston 

& Phyllis his 

wife was 

Drowned Septr 

7th 1775 to 

ye loss of his 

Parents & his 

Mr An Lopez." 

Near this section of the ground is the simple stone marking the 
resting place of ''the Duchess," as she was generally known, having 
on it the following inscription written by William E. Channing : 

In 
Memory 
of 
Duchess Ouamino 
a free hlack 
of distinguished excellence ; 
Intelligent, industrious 
Affectionate, honest 
and of 
Exemplary Piety 
Who deceased 
June 29, 1804, aged 65 years 
" Blest thy slumbers in this house of clay 
And bright thy rising to eternal day." 

Whether, as was said, she was the daughter of an African king, 
is not certainly known. She was universally known and beloved in 
the town and remembered by many of the former generation as " the 
most celebrated cake baker in Rhode Island.'' 



29 



PART II. 

Resides the Old or Common burying ground, there are in the very 
heart of the city several smaller cemeteries which were used by pri- 
vate families and the different religious denominations. All of these 
have monuments of great interest and furnish excellent evidence for 
reconstructmg the political, social and religious life of early Newport. 

JEWISH CEMETERY 

The most widely known of these smaller burial places is the 
Jewish Cemetery on Touro street. Touched by the fire of a poet's 
tongue, it has become known to every schoolboy through the familiar 
lines : 

" How strange it seems ! These Hebrews in their graves, 
Close by the street of this fair seaport town, 
Silent beside the never silent waves, 
At rest in all this moving up and down.'' 




Down the Main Path 
30 



This ground was acquired in 1677 for the use of the Hebrews 
then resident in Newport. When the congregation was broken up 
by the removal of its members to other cities, the burial ground was 
allowed to fall into decay and neglect. In later years it was restored 
and in 1842 it was put in thorough order through the generosity of 
Judah Touro, who gave the present massive gateway and granite base 
and pillars supporting the iron railing. 

There are now in the cemetery over 30 monuments, with inscrip- 
tions usually in Hebrew and English. 

" The very names recorded here are strange, 
Of foreign accent and of different climes, 
Alvares and Rivera interchange 
With Abraham and Jacob of old times." 

It was explained by Rev. A. P. Mendes, in an address on the 
Jewish cemetery delivered before the Newport Historical Society in 
1885, that every epitaph began or ended with the words " iMay his 
soul be bound in the bands of life,'' also that the Hebrew did not use 
the word "died" in an inscription, but chose some happier phrase, 
such as '• liberated for Paradise," " departed to his eternal home,'' 
" removed to Paradise," or the like. The Hebrew inscriptions are re- 
stricted to the simplest, most concise statements of the death and age 
of the departed, but the English epitaphs often contain lengthy tributes 
to their private worth and social qualities. Even in the English epi- 
taphs dates are frequently given in the Hebrew chronology, and then 
translated into the corresponding years of the Christian era. (The 
writer is indebted to the address of Rev. Dr. Mendes for the transla- 
tion of the Hebrew inscriptions.) 

The oldest stone found is that of Rachel Rodriqiiez Rivera, of the 
date 1 761. It has an inscription in Spanish, followed by a translation 
in English. One of the most elaborate epitaphs is that on the monu- 
ment of -'the aged and honored Mr. Abraham Rodregues Rivera.'' 
Above the inscription is the Hebrew verse Genesis XXV: 8 ("And 
Abraham expired and died in a good old age ") and beneath are 
eight lines of Hebrew verse. 

On the stone of " Mr. Moses Lopez, merchant, who suddenly 
quitted this transitory life" in 1767, is the Scripture text, " Now the 
man Moses was exceeding meek," while on that of Mr. Aaron Lopez 
may be read " Hear, Lord, the voice of Aaron." 

All is simple and dignified. Occasionally a phrase seems slightly 
ludicrous, as in the English epitaph on the "goodly young man" 
Abraham Minis: " This estimable young gentleman fell a victim in 
the bloom of life to the accidental fracture of a leg." 

31 



The monuments of the central group are those of the Touro 
family. One of these, a stone obelisk on a square pedestal, marks the 
resting place of Judah Touro's mother. On one side is an inscription 
in English, recording her age and the year of her death, while another 
side contains a tribute to Judah Touro's father, Isaac Touro, who was 
buried in Kingston, Jamaica. The most conspicuous monument is 
that of Judah Touro. Two of the four sides of the granite pedestal 
are inscribed in Hebrew and the other two in English. The tribute 
in English reads : 

"The last of his name - 
He inscribed it in the book of 
Philanthropy." 

The Hebrew epitaph is as follows : 

By righteousness and integrity he collected his wealth, 
In charity and for salvation he dispensed it. 

Dr. Mendes says that ordinarily in Jewish cemeteries the date of 
death is expressed in a chronogram formed from some appropriate 
verse of Scripture, but that there is only one instance of this usage in 
the cemetery at Newport. On the tomb of Abraham Touro the date 
is expressed in the verse : " A good name is better than precious oint- 
ment and the day of death than the day of one's birth.'' Certain let- 
ters m the Hebrew verse are marked, and taken in their numerical 
value from the year of death. 

TRINITY CHURCHYARD 

Situated as it is, on one of the most public streets and close by 
the main entrance to the church, the graveyard of " old Trinity '' is a 
familiar sight to residents and strangers. Although the monuments 
it contains are comparatively few in number, the names upon them are 
of more than ordinary interest and are associated with the leading 
events in Newport's early history. 

Oti the left hand, just inside the gate, is the high slate slab in- 
scribed to "Nathaniel Kay, Esq, Collector of the King's Customs in 
Newport, whose spirit returned to God on the 14th day of April, A. 
D. 1734, after it had tabernacled here 59 years. He after an exem- 
plary life of Faith & Charity did by his last will at his death found and 
largely endow two Charity schools in Newport & Bristol within his 
Collection." This stone was restored by the vestry of the church in 
1865. On one side of the broad slab of slate are these words : "Join- 
ing to the south of this tomb lies Lucia Berkeley, daughter of Dean 
Berkeley, obit 5th Sept. 1731.'' 

On the opposite side of the walk are stones in memory of Rev. 
James Honyraan and his wife and only daughter. Rev. Mr. Honyman 

32 



was rector of the parish from 1704 to 1750, the year of his death. 

A large block of granite marks the place where the Chevalier de 
Ternay was buried in 1780. Upon it is cut the following inscription : 




Northeast Corner, Showing Grave of De Ternay. 



Hoc sub lapide 

anno MDCCCLXXTII Posito 

Jacet 

Carolus Ludovicus D'Arsac 

De Ternay 

anno MDCCLXXX 

Decessus 

Sub proximi templi porticum 

antiquum monumentum 

Restauratum et Protectum 

Translatum 

Est. 

The monument in the vestibule of the church has an elaborate 
Latin inscription. It was erected in 1783 by "his most Christian 
majesty, the judge of virtue, in order that the memory of a distm- 
guished man should be consecrated to posterity/' A French writer 
in speaking of the Chevalier de Ternay's death says : " He was buried 
in Newport in the cemetery of the Anabaptists, where Louis Philippe 

33 



at a later period caused a monument to be erected with an inscription 
which recalls all the services he rendered to France." 

One of the oldest stones is in memory of Thomas Mallett, who 
died in 1704. The epitaph gives very briefly the date of death and 
age of the deceased and ends with the couplet : 

"This motto all in one Idde express 
He was a Father to ye F^atherless." 

Especially worthy of notice is the following : 
" Here 
Lyeth the Body of Doctor 
Frankland Morton 
Who departed this Life 
On the 25th day of July 
1720 
In the 34th year of his age. 
Moituus en moneo. 
Let all who read consider well in me 
The trail condition of Mortality 
Tho' young yet quell'd tho' vigorous outdone 
Tho' ill full Bloom yet Death the conquest non 
Not all my skill cou'd stay my partmg Hreath 
Ev'n Ratcliff's self submitted once to Death 
My flitting soul now covets mansions new 
Mortal Lm fled this World and so must you." 




The Crowded Northwest Corner. 



Two more stones of interest are those of " Mr. Robert Gardner, 
Esq., who was one of the first promoters of the church in this place. 
He served all his brethren and had the happiness to see this church com- 
pletely finished," and of Dr. William Hunter. Dr. Hunter in 1754 
gave the first course of anatomical lectures delivered in America, and 
held a prominent position as a physician and surgeon. 

CODDINGTON GROUND 

The Coddington burial ground on Farewell and North Baptist 
streets contains the graves of several early governors of the Colony — 
Nicholas Easton, the two Coddingtons, Henry Hull and John Easton. 



^i 



rr^ 



T- 






■^^M^'i:^ -V 










Governor Coddington's 



The tall slate stone of William Coddington, Senior, bears the fol- 
lowing inscription : 

"This monument 

erected by the Town of Newport on the 12th day 

of May 1839 being the second Centeniel Anniversary 

of the settlement of this Town, to the memory of 

William Coddington, Esq. 

that illustrious man, who first purchased this 



35 



Island from the Narragansett Sachems, Canonicus and 
Miantunomo, for and on account of himself 
and Seventeen others his 

associates in the purchase and settlement. 

He presided many years as chief magistrate 

of the Island and Colony of Rhode Island 

and Died much respected and lamented on the ist day of 

November 1678 

aged 78 years and was here interred," 

Close by this larger stone is a smaller dark slate stone, originally 
placed over Governor Coddington's grave, bearing the name and date 
)f death. This simple inscription is contained within hnes incised in 
the shape of a heart. 

The low granite pillar in memory of Governor Bull has upon one 
side: " He was one of the eighteen original purchasers of this island 
who settled the town of Pocasset or Portsmouth in 1638 and one of 
eight who settled the town of Newport in 1639." 

CLARKE GROUND 

On West Broadway, a little above Oak street, is a burial ground 
with the graves of several of the early pastors of the First Baptist 




John Clarke's (second from the left). 



36 



Church. The most important of these is the grave of John Clarke, 
the first pastor. U: n the plain marble stone is the inscription : 

" To the memory of 

Doct John Cla'tke 

one of the original purchasers and proprietors of 

this island and one of the founders of the First 

Baptist Church in Newport its first Pastor and 

Munificent benefactor. He was a native of 

Bedfordshire Eng. and a practitioner of Physic 

in London. He with his associates came to 

this Island from Mass in March 1638 O. S. 

and on the 24 of the same month obtained a 

deed thereof from the Indians. He shortly after 

gathered the church aforesaid and became its 

Pastor. In 1651 he with Roger Williams was 

sent to England by the people of Rhode Islana 

Colony to negotiate the business of the Colony 

with the British Ministry. Mr. Clarke was 

instrumetal in obtaining the Charter of 1663 

from Charles II which secured to the people of 

the State free and full enioyment of judgment 

and conscience in matters of religion. He 

remained in England to watch over the interests 

of the Colony until 1664 ^^^ then returned to 

Newport and resumed the pastoral care of his church 

Mr. Clarke and Mr. Williams two Fathers of the 

Colony strenuously and fearlessly maintained that 

none but Jesus Christ had authority over the 

affairs of conscience. He died April 20, 1676, in 

the 66 year of his age and is here interred 

This monument was erected by his Trustees March 1840." 

" Confident of awakening here renoseth John Callender'' is the 
epitaph of another early pastor, who died in 1748. Besides these 
tombs there are also the graves of Rev. Erasmus Kelly, A. B., died 
1784, and of Rev. Michael Eddy, of whom it was once said ''no worthier 
man ever discoursed of heavenly themes."' 



CLIFTON BURYING GROUND 

On the corner of Thomas and Golden Hill streets is the Clifton 
burying ground, so called from the original owner of the land. This 
was used for many years as a burial place by the Society of Fnends' 
In 1700 about one ha.f of the inhabitants of Newport were Quakers 
and the leading men of the colony were of this faith. In after years 
the " Monthly .Meeting of Friends " gave over the care of the ceme. 
tery to the city and at present it is kept in order by the Park Commis- 
sion. 



Here is the family vault of Governor Joseph Wanton, built at the 
expense of Joseph Wanton and William Wanton in 1771. "To this 
new vault were removed the bodies of the wife and son of Joseph 
Wanton, Senior, and the wife and children of Joseph Wanton, Jr. Oct 
18, 1771. Also other bones of any others of the Wanton family which 
were in this old vault being built by our grandfather, dug up some 
from the common ground, some from Fristol." 

Many of the stones date back to the last quarter of the seventeenth 
century. The oldest is of the year 1670. For the most part the in- 
scriptions are of the simplest kind, but a few have tributes, either in 
prose or verse, to the departed. 



V 



I 
I 



The Clifton, Thomas and Golden Hiir Streets. 



On the grave of " Mary ye wife of Captain Nathaniel Sheffield, 
who died in 1707, we find the following : 

" Here lyeth one bereft of life 
A tender mother and a lovuig wife 
Her loss is ours, death is her gain 
Her soul at rest & free from paine," 



38 



Of " Katharine Sheffield, who died in ye 83d year of her age," it 
is written : 

" And now for rest she has flown 
No tongue could tell her troubles 
But her own." 

These lines are taken from the stone of Thomas Coleman, who 
died in 1718 : 

" Kind traveller make here a stop 

And thy own end consider 

Consider thou art born to dye 

And cannot live forever 

And for eternall happiness 

In health thyself prepare 

For here lyes one that was evident 

His strength Death would not spare.'' 

A few other epitaphs of interest are added : 

" Memento mori Fugit Hora. 

John Thurston 

Aged 26 years. 

Dec'd Oct'br ye 22 

1690.'' 

" Here lieth intered two innocents 
Whose souls are gone for recompence 
To dwell with him who'll surely give 
A glorious crown to them that live 
Their infinite souls ascend on high 
To live in Heaven there is rest 
With ye angels ever blest." 

" The bodys of 
Mother and daughter 
here mterred doth rest 
Whose precious souls without 
any doubt are forever blest.'' 

Herelyeth interred 

Mary late ye 

wife of Samuel Cranston, Fsq. 

gover of this colony who dec 

cest ye 7th day of 

ye 4 mo. Sepbr in 

ye 48th year of her 

age 

1710 

(Under the same stone as Mary Cranston) 

" Here lyeth intered 

Freelove late ye 

wife of Walter 

Clarke, Esq. late 

39 



gov'r & dep'ty gov'r 

of the colony who 

decest ye loth day of ye 

1 1 mo. cal'd January 

in ye 73 year of her 

age 1710.'' 

Freelove Clarke was a daughter of Roger Williams. Her husband, 
governor Walter Clarke, is also buried in this ground. " He decest 
this life the 22d day of May Anno Dom 1714'' 

On other stones may be read the n.imes of Captam Pardon Til- 
linghast and Clarke Rodman, Physician. 

The epitaph of Sarah, wife of Mr. Samuel Johnston, eldest daugh- 
ter of Mr. Thomas Teackle Taylor, is, with a few slight changes m 
spelling, the same as that on the tomb of Abigail, wife of George 
Wanton, already given in the description of the Old cemetery. But 
as the date of this stone is 1700, while that of the Wanton stone is 
1726, we probably have here the earlier form of the verses. 

On the tombstone of Captain Thomas Teackle Taylor himself are 
the following lines : 

"The just expectation of a happy hereafter 
To the deceased Husband and Parent whose 
Upright conduct through life has merited 
The universal approbation of all mankind 
Affords the most solid consolation to 

The surviving relatives for theif grievous and afiflicting loss. 
Yet virtue still against decay can aim 
And ever lend Mortality a claim." 

THE QUAKER GROUND 

Another burial place used by the Society of Friends in early days 
is situated on Edward street. Within this enclosure are some graves 
dating back to the first half of the eighteenth century, but by far the 
greater number are of more recent years. The stones are all simple 
head stones, of slate, granite or marble, usually about 21 inches in 
height, and the records upon them are confined to the name and date 
of death. It is said that in early times it was against the strict rules 
of the society to designate graves of the dead by any visible token or 
inscription, but later head stones, with the restrictions already men- 
tioned, were allowed. 

One curbed plat in this ground contains eight stones of the Feke 
and Brinley families. Charles Feke, who died in 1822, was a well 
known apothecary in early Newport and from him the street at the 
south of this burial ground takes its name. 

40 




On Edward Street. 



T , ^^"^r ^''"'' "^^^ "^""^ ^"' "'^"^' y^^^^ president of the Rhode 
Island Union Bank and who laid the corner stone of the first stone 
bridge built at Tiverton, is buried in this ground, as are also members 
of the Gould. Stanton, Rodman, Buffum and other prominent Quaker 
families. '^ 

THE COGGESHALL FAMILY LOT 

Of the cemeteries set apart for private family use, the one of the 
Coggeshall family on Coggeshall avenue is well worth a visit. The 
centre of the ground is occupied by a granite obelisk, the base of 
which is inscribed ; 

" In Memory of 

John Coggeshall Esq 

He died First 

President 
of this Colony 
Nov. 27, 1647 
Aged 57 years.'' 

erected by a lineal descendant," as is stated 



This 



monument was 



^n the inscription. The opposite side bears the name of Mary, the wife 



41 



of John Coggeshall, who died in 1684. In the corner of the lot are 
the two original slate stones that mark the resting place of John 
Coggeshall and his wife. 




The Coggeshall, on Coggeshall Avenue. 



In this ground is the tomb of Abraham Redwood, the founder of 
the Redwood Library, who married a member of the Coggeshall family. 
It is a high slate slab with the inscription : 

" In] Memory 

of 

Abraham Redwood Ksquire 

Who^deceased 8th of March 

A. D. 1788 

In the 79th year of his age 

And 

Martha Redwood 

his wife 

who deceased the 8th of May 

A. D. 1760 

in the 51st year of her age.'' 



42 



A Newport paper of 1788, the year of Mr. Redwood's death, said 
of him that "he was blessed with a liberal spirit which prompted him 
to encourage useful learning and relieve the distresses of mankind." 

Mehetable, the daughter of Abraham Redwood and wife of lien- 
jamin Ellery, Esq., who died in 1797, is also buried here. The tomb 
of husb.md and wife is a raised marble slab, and upon it are the lines : 

" By their deaths a veil was drawn 

Over bright scenes of 

Social converse, friendship and charity 

But the sleeping dust shall be reanimated 

and the righteous shall inherit 

Unfading glory and blessedness." 

Many other members of the Coggeshal! family are here interred. 
" John Coggeshall Senior, Major who deceast Octbr ye i 1708 in ye 
goth yeare of his age," and Captain John Coggeshall, "a patriot of the 
Revolution, an enterprising merchant and an honorable man." 

On one stone we find the words : ■' Sweet Jesus Christ send thy 
guardian angel to conduct my soul to thy precious arms." 

Although of a much later date, the tomb of Russell Coggeshall, 
who gave to the city of Newport the Coggeshall poor fund, deserves 
mention. It is a high slab of white marble, with marble sides, and the 
inscription records that " He was largely and successfully concerned 
in the whaling business for many years and at his death bequeathed 
Fifty thousand dollars to the aged poor of the city. The residue of 
his property to eighty three persons.'' 



SMALLER GROUNDS 

Other family grounds still preserved are those of the Easton and 
Arnold families. On a driveway leading from Annandale road to the 
Gammell property is a small walled enclosure, originally part of the 
old Easton farm, containing the graves of members of the Easton 
family. 

What remains of the family burial ground of the Arnold family 
may be seen in the little enclosed space, with its few stones, now 
fenced off in the rear of the Van Zandt house (now occupied by Mr. 
Burlingham), on Pelham street. There were buried Governor Arnold, 
died in 1678; "Benedict Arnold genLlem.in.'' died 1727, with his wife 
and children, as well as other members of the family. Later burials 
were those of Thomas Pelham and John Banister. 



43 




The Arnold, Off Pelham Street. 



In the cemetery attached to the church on Mill street, where he 
preached, Rev. Samuel Hopkins was originally buried. His present 
grave is in the yard of the Congregational Church on Spring street, 
marked by an old-fashioned fiat slate .slab, with the following inscrip- 
tion : 

" In memory of 

Samuel Hopkins D. D. 

Pastor of the 

First Congregational Church 

In Newport 

Who departed this life 

Deer 20 A. D. 1803 

In the S3d year of his age. 

Whose faithful attention to the duties 

Of his pastoral ofBce and 

Whose valuable writings 

Will recommend his character 

When this Monument 

Erected by his Bereaved hlock 

Shall with the precious dust it covers 

Cease to be distinguished.'' 



44 



Close by this stone ris^s the granite monument in memory of 
Rev. William Patten, D. D., " Pastor of the Second Congregational 
Church at Newport for 49 years," who died at Hartford, Conn., in 
1839. Many interesting anecdotes of these two clergymen are given 
by Mr. George Channing in his " Early Recollections of Newport.'' 




Graves of Or. Hopkins and Dr. Patten, Spring Street 



It is gratifying to know that the old cemeteries of Newport are so 
well cared for and preserved. All the smaller ones are kept in order 
by the denominations owning them or by the city authorities, and 
something has already been done in the Old Cemetery in the case of 
the Ward ground. It is to be hoped that this care may be extended 
to other sections of the Old burial ground and that these memorials of 
the dead of bygone days may be well preserved to furnish future gen- 
erations a means of studying the history of early Newport. 




Oliver Hazard Perry Monument. 



J»D 



1 8 1: 



■'^..^' 







^0" 







f_ <xV „«„ % •*' ^^"^ ..,. -P, 




•^^^^ 










^oV 




^^^ 




% 










,*lo 



v<» 
















-^^0^ 







^^-V*. 









^^-n^. 














% 






,/.-^<X c°^c^.> ./\-^<X co". 






**/' 






'5 if!. 












■r ~0 



A. 










V *lVL'* c 




-^^0^ 



f SNiisnonv -IS 



'^bv^ 



^^-^^^ 







<J.^ 








•\ 



'^oV^ 



ONioNia Advaaii 

soMsasoo 



r C^Sf^ 







%,^ '^ 



'%/' 



S^'^^ 'MMW: J"^^^ \ 




> ^^-nK 







'^o^ 




^oV 



^^-n^. 








„,o- ^ 







V 




0' 



'. ■%■<>' 











^^-^^^ 



'q.. **^^^* .^o"^ 







«^^ .. 






y 



V- 







